ZOOperstars!

Last updated
ZOOperstars!
Founded Louisville, Kentucky
(December 1998)
FounderDominic and Brennan Latkovski
ServicesSports Entertainment
Number of employees
17
Website zooperstars.com

ZOOperstars! is a traveling inflatable entertainment act, [1] based in Louisville, Kentucky who utilizes comedy, acrobatics, tricks and maneuvers accompanied by synchronized dancing to entertain. [2] The name ZOOperstars! is derived from the "pun-based animal athlete monikers such as Shark McGwire, Ken Giraffey Jr. and Tim Tebull." [3] Currently, the mascot dance troupe has over 40 different characters [3] [4] who sport similar pun-based names. The ZOOperstars! act is one of the busiest traveling entertainment acts in the business. [5] In the sports industry, they are most famous for their popular "Eat It" skit where "the impressively tall inflatable clam clad in a Sammy Sosa jersey greedily "devours" opposing coaches, bat boys, or whoever else happens to be around, then spits out his meal's shirt, shoes, and cap, all while Weird Al Yankovic's Eat It plays in the background." [6] Their most notable accomplishment could be a earning a place in the Top 20 [7] in 2008 on NBC's America's Got Talent .

History

The ZOOperstars! were created by brothers, Dominic and Brennan Latkovski in 1998. Dominic got his start in 1990 as Triple-A Louisville Redbirds mascot, Billy Bird. Over the course of the first two seasons, Dominic would have younger brother, Brennan, play the antagonist roles such as an umpire, for on-field skits. In 1992, the two brothers obtained a booth at the MLB Trade Show and marketed the Billy Bird act. After success in their first year, Dominic says, "[The Redbirds] wanted me to sign a contract giving them a big portion of the money in exchange for using the name and the costume, and that's when we decided to break free and create a new character." [3] In came BirdZerk!, a neon green, yellow and purple bird based on the costume the brothers were accustomed to performing in as their former act. The brothers then saw two inflatable characters, University of Nebraska's Lil' Red and an All Sport bottle and decided to add inflatable characters to the act. After seeing the appeal of inflatable characters at their BirdZerk show, Andy Latkovski, the brothers' father, suggested they add another character to the act. [3] The character was Harry Canary. However, in 1998, after a few faltered attempts to add Harry Canary to the cast of BirdZerk!, the brothers had the revelation to create a whole new act full of inflatable mascots with similar pun-based animal athlete names. In the winter of 1998, the Latkovski brothers took their new ZOOperstars! act to the MLB Trade Show. The act was a big hit with names like Harry Canary, Ken Giraffey Jr., Shark McGwire, and Cow Ripken Jr. [6] In the years since, the ZOOperstars! have performed at over 200 different sports teams around the world, [8] and multiple appearances on America's Got Talent . [7]

Related Research Articles

Fozzie Bear Muppet character

Fozzie Bear is a Muppet character known for his lack of innate and effective comedy skills. Fozzie is an orange bear who often wears a brown pork pie hat and a red and white polka dot necktie. The character debuted on The Muppet Show, as the show's stand-up comic, a role where he constantly employed his catchphrase, "Wocka Wocka!" Shortly after telling the joke, he was usually the target of ridicule, particularly from balcony hecklers Statler and Waldorf. Fozzie was performed by Frank Oz until 2001; Eric Jacobson has since become the character's principal performer.

The Jerky Boys is an American comedy act from Queens, New York, whose routine consists of prank telephone calls and other related skits. Formed in 1989, the Jerky Boys were made up of childhood friends Johnny Brennan and Kamal Ahmed. After Ahmed left the act in 2000, the Jerky Boys continued on as a solo act featuring only Brennan, before going on hiatus after the 2001 release of their final album, The Jerky Tapes.

Minstrel show Blackface performance

The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American form of entertainment developed in the early 19th century. Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people specifically of African descent. The shows were performed by white people in make-up or blackface for the purpose of playing the role of black people. There were also some African-American performers and all-black minstrel groups that formed and toured under the direction of white people. Minstrel shows lampooned black people as dim-witted, lazy, buffoonish, superstitious, and happy-go-lucky.

The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and play their home games at AutoZone Park, which opened in 2000 and seats 10,000. The team previously played at Tim McCarver Stadium in 1998 and 1999.

Rob Riggle American actor and comedian

Robert Allen Riggle Jr. is an American actor and comedian. He is perhaps best known for his work as a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show from 2006 to 2008, as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2004 to 2005, and for his comedic roles in films such as The Hangover, The Other Guys, Let's Be Cops, Dumb & Dumber To, 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street, The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, and Step Brothers. He has also co-starred in the Adult Swim comedy-action series NTSF:SD:SUV::. He has provided voice work for The Lorax and Hotel Transylvania 2. In 2012, Riggle replaced Frank Caliendo for the comedy skit and prognostication portions of Fox NFL Sunday.

Brothers Little Helper 2nd episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons

"Brother's Little Helper" is the second episode of The Simpsons' eleventh season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 3, 1999. In the episode, Bart floods the school gymnasium and the schoolyard, which prompts the school's principal Seymour Skinner to diagnose Bart with ADHD. Bart is prescribed a psychostimulant drug called Focusyn, and initially starts paying more attention to his studies. After a while however, Bart starts turning psychotic and is convinced that Major League Baseball is watching over the people of Springfield.

Cardinals–Cubs rivalry Major League Baseball rivalry

The Cardinals–Cubs rivalry, also called the Route 66 rivalry and The I-55 rivalry, refers to the rivalry between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs of the National League (NL), one of the most bitter rivalries in Major League Baseball and in all of North American professional sports. The Cardinals have won 19 NL pennants, while the Cubs have won 17. However, the Cardinals have a clear edge when it comes to World Series success, having won 11 championships to the Cubs' 3. Games between the two clubs see numerous visiting fans in either St. Louis's Busch Stadium or Chicago's Wrigley Field. When the NL split into two divisions in 1969, and later three divisions in 1994, the Cardinals and Cubs remained together.

The St. Louis Cardinals, a professional baseball franchise based in St. Louis, Missouri, compete in the National League (NL) of Major League Baseball (MLB). Before joining the NL in 1892, they were also a charter member of the American Association (AA) from 1882 to 1891. Although St. Louis has been the Cardinals' home city for the franchise's entire existence, they were also known as the Brown Stockings, Browns, and Perfectos.

<i>Pulp Sport</i>

Pulp Sport was a New Zealand television show that mixed sport with various styles of comedy. The hosts Jamie Linehan and Ben Boyce acted under their respective pseudonyms Bill and Ben, performing a half hour of various sports based skits. They were usually accompanied by an anthropomorphic fox mascot.

<i>The Breaking Point</i> (1950 film) 1950 film by Michael Curtiz

The Breaking Point is a 1950 American film noir crime drama directed by Michael Curtiz and the second film adaptation of the 1937 Ernest Hemingway novel To Have and Have Not. It stars John Garfield and Patricia Neal. The earlier 1944 film starred Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

The 1998 Major League Baseball season ended with the New York Yankees sweeping the San Diego Padres in the World Series, after they had won a then AL record 114 regular season games. The Yankees finished with 125 wins for the season, which remains the MLB record.

The Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League (CRCBL) is a collegiate summer baseball league located in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland metropolitan areas. The CRCBL is a member of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball (NACSB).

Harry O'Donovan was an Irish comedy scriptwriter, stage manager and actor.

Spelbound are a gymnastic troupe from the United Kingdom who rose to fame in 2010, winning the fourth series of Britain's Got Talent. The prize was £100,000 and the opportunity to appear at the 2010 Royal Variety Performance. They also performed in the Britain's Got Talent Live tour. They have since performed at numerous venues and have been featured in advertisements.

BirdZerk! American prankster

BirdZerk! is the performance name of Dominic Latkovski, a professional mascot and entertainer known for appearances at American minor league baseball games. He is most known for his skits that revolve around pranking players, umpires, bat boys, and managers and his acrobatic, synchronized dances with his sidekicks BirdZerk Jr., BabyZerk!, BallZerk!, and DogZerk!. In 2008, BirdZerk! was named as the top minor league baseball promotional act by CNBC sports business columnist Darren Rovell.

Toronto Blue Jays mascots overview about the Toronto Blue Jays mascots

Over the years, the Toronto Blue Jays have created three full-time mascots, all of which portray the bird for which the team was named.

Bash Brothers

The Bash Brothers are a duo of former baseball players consisting of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. Both prolific home run hitters, the two were teammates in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven seasons with the Oakland Athletics, helping the team win a World Series title in 1989.

References